Michael DeMocker / The Times-PicayuneLance Moore is one of many tough calls the Saints front office will have to make.

Even with the Hornets struggling, the All-Star Weekend upon us, and trade rumors swirling, this week's "Five good questions" still focus on the New Orleans Saints.

It's hard for a town to change its stripes.

Of particular note this week are the team's options at safety, what to do along the offensive line, and whether Lance Moore is worth the money.

Moore leads things off.

Me and some buddies have an ongoing disagreement on Lance Moore. They think we need to keep him at all costs. My feelings are that he has had one solid year. If someone tenders him to the max, I think we need to let him go and get some good draft picks in return. I mean we have Robert Meachem and Adrian Arrington waiting in the wings. What do you think?

As I touched on last week, it really depends on what the Saints choose to do when tendering Moore in the first place. A lowball offer, while cap friendly, would also prevent the Saints from receiving any compensation if he leaves. On the other hand, the team could go overboard and offer him a ton, thereby ensuring themselves 1st- and 3rd-round draft picks should he go ... but also simultaneously making it much less likely anyone tries to pry him away.

If I had to guess, I'd think the Saints will split the difference and put his compensation at a second-round pick or thereabouts, and in that instance, I would agree with you. Moore is a wonderful player and a true asset, and it's always a dangerous thing to take away a quarterback's favorite target, but New Orleans needs two things: money and draft picks. Letting Moore leave (after offering him the proper tender) would allow the Saints to both save money and bring in a draft pick.

The Saints have some real questions to answer along the offensive line. Evans (a relative unknown around the league) is certainly going to be easier to sign than Stinchcomb (a veteran performer with more of a "name" playing on the edge), but the issue isn't that simple. The Saints' depth at guard, where road-grader Carl Nicks emerged as a true force in his rookie season, looks a great deal more accomplished than at tackle, where Strief and Bushrod have combined to start just three games between them.

So should the team spring for the more expensive Stinchcomb (who incidentally is a great locker-room presence as well as a talented starting right tackle), or should the Saints save their money and go for the less expensive Evans? Or pursue both? Or neither?

The team isn't tipping its hand for now, but I'd lay better odds on Evans returning than Stinchcomb. And the potential gaping hole at right tackle should Stinchcomb leave is enough to make me (and plenty of other Saints fans) nervous.

Who fits the profile of what the Saints are looking for at safety? Don't say Ed Reed, because there aren't that many of him going around.

There has been much speculation among Saints Nation that safety Sammy Knight, recently released by the Giants, might make a return to New Orleans. I posited Friday during my weekly sports chat that Knight, a run-first defender getting up there in years, might not fit the model of what new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams wants in his safeties: versatility.

The more versatile safety candidate is one who can fill in against the run and also make plays in the passing game. Perhaps the best example of this kind of player, other than the aforementioned Ed Reed, is St. Louis Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who has notched 13 interceptions and 160 tackles over the past two seasons.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerSean Jones might be the most underrated safety prospect on the market.

Atogwe may be a tall order for a Saints team with budget concerns (especially if the Rams, as expected, franchise him), and Philadelphia's Brian Dawkins probably falls into the same category. But there are other players out there adept at playing the run and the pass (and who aren't ancient either).

The Browns' Sean Jones (88 tackles, 5 interceptions averaged past three years) has a reputation for hard hits and hasn't been shabby picking off passes either - he's a guy who might hit the market, and he'd be a good get. Another player to consider is the Bears' Mike Brown, who definitely will hit the market, due to his problems with injuries in recent seasons. Of course that's a perfectly good reason for New Orleans not to sign him, but he at one point was Mr. Big Play, scoring three touchdowns on defense his first two seasons in the league. He's not the oldest guy in the world either, having just turned 31, so he could definitely recapture some past glories (or just get injured again).

If the Saints want to go off the radar, I'd look to players with past Williams ties first. Jacksonville's Gerald Sensabaugh and Pierson Prioleau and Washington's Reed Doughty are guys the team could consider.

With the NFL Combine coming up in the next week or so, who or what position are the Saints really looking at targeting? I have seen several mock drafts, but most of that changes after the Combine. Is it DB, LB or a trade down? Any thoughts on possibly trading a quality player like Jamaal Brown for more quality picks?

I'd hang on to Brown. And I know I'm probably at least partially responsible for the "trade Brown" bandwagon, but I never suggested the team should dump him. Just that he's one of the few players with value the Saints might be able to get something for in return.

If you have the means to watch the NFL Combine, and you're looking for a position to keep an eye on, I think your instincts are solid. Definitely watch the linebackers and defensive backs closely, because there are solid odds you'll be watching the Saints' first-round draft pick in action.

That said, there's more than one round in the draft, and if free agency is as brutal to the team's lines as it is threatening to be, I'd also be looking out for the next great sleeper pick at defensive end or on the offensive line - two areas a team can never ignore in any case.

Is it me or is the Hornets' season similar to the Saints' season with the exception that Brees was healthy? No defense, injuries...

It's not you. The Hornets are becoming increasingly depressing to watch ... a sure sign they are taking on some of the tendencies of their cousins across the street. Of course the playing indoors thing is a commonality, and with the advent of the Fleur-de-Bee, their logos even look similar. Neither team has ever advanced to its sport's championship game/series, and despite all their best intentions (aggressiveness in free agency/acquiring new talent), both teams seem to be running in place at best.

But there are some key differences. Hugo, for instance, smokes Gumbo as a cool mascot (sorry, Gumbo!), it's difficult to reconcile the differences in team colors/uniforms, and the Saints certainly have the seniority card, especially when it comes to fan support. But the most important difference of all?